The Portrayal Of Women In Film Film Studies Essay

The Portrayal Of Women In Film Film Studies Essay I have chosen the following question. To what extent do you agree with the statement that the female in film is on display, passive and purely there because of her to be looked-at-ness? Women in my opinion have been the subject of eye candy in films and are not that often respected. Yes, there are a number of films about the power that woman can show along with the control to be on a par with men. But, they still show them as voyeuristic and sexual items. Most of Hollywoods films have men in control and makes use of the male gaze (that is, the audience sees what they see about the female). Women are characteristically on the receiving end of that gaze. According to Mulvey: In a world of sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy on the female figure which is styled accordingly. In my paper and my assessment of females on display I will be looking mainly at Tomb Raider (Simon West, US, 2001) about the adventures of Lara Croft. The character is played by and stars Angeline Jolie. I will also take a look at another film also starring Angelina Jolie Mr and Mrs Smith (Doug Liman, USA, 2005). Firstly Tomb Raider. This film follows the success of a popular video game where as an adventurer you are taken through many seemingly impossible swashbuckling events to win the game. Like other characters, she must save the world. But when interviewed about her movie and her part in it she even talks about her to-be-looked at character. Angelina Jolie states Cmon, Im not so flat chested to begin with, she said. So it wasnt like we had to completely change me. You know, we just had to enhance me a little. Im a 36C. Lara, shes a 36D. And in the game, shes a double D, so we took her down some. But we did give her a bit of padding there. For me, it was simply one size, so it was like having a padded bra. So we are looking here at an almost virtual body that can satisfy desires and highlights her enthusiasm to play a real human but at the same time to invest erotically in a fictional character. Can we see anything else at times other than her being on display? We are also looking at Tomb Raider as a voyeuristic gaze. Although Lara Croft is a woman she is giving us the female version of Indiana Jones but she lacks the fully realized three-dimensional qualities male counterparts usually show, as she is seen as Incredibly hot-n-juicy, and although playing probably the best action heroine the quality of the story dictates that she alone is probably the reason to see this movie. It appears that despite the move towards a masculine role as a woman the effort to mould her into a positive figure is difficult in a society because she is a woman. In an influential academic paper in 2002, Helen W. Kennedy said the question surrounding Lara Croft was simple is she a positive role model for young girls or just that perfect combination of eye and thumb candy for the boys?. It appears that (West) the producer wanted to set the film in a marketable form potentially appealing to both male and female audiences. Particularly to at the time girlpower and the emerging ladette culture. This as Helen Kennedy says centres around playing lads at their own game but still seen primarily addressing a male audience. Lets look at the first five minutes of Tomb Raider it gives an appropriate insite into what is to be seen in the rest of the film. The opening sequences spend a lot of time focussing on Laras body. To begin with the shot of her face is from a particularly low angle, perhaps to express her dominance over the impending scene, but is more likely for the audience to see empathised breasts. It goes on to show several gratuitous shots of Laras crotch and thighs. What is also interesting is that the sound has been exaggerated and the moans and screams while Lara is fighting the robot have clearly been digitised louder, thus supporting Mulveys theory of voyeurism. Take a look at the photo below of Lara Croft. Notice she looks directly at you as a person and could be construed as a gesture of her awareness of herself as the object of the male gaze. (2001) Tomb Raider [online image] http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/LetsCutTheBS/news/?a=7733 (Accessed 30th April 2010) Another film with Angelina Jolie that represents a completely different type of format is Mr and Mrs Smith (Doug Liman, USA, 2005). This time the film is about a bored married couple who are surprised to learn that they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill each other. Whereas Lara Croft was shown very much eye candy, in this film the attempt is to show empowerment of woman to do the same role as a man. Uunfortunately Hollywood still insist on showing the female character as a tasteful, soft-core fantasy. Jolie (Janet Smith in the film) is depicted as a fiery, professional assassin. Just where the point in the film of her wearing a PVC corset with a little matching micro-skirt thing, bears no relationship at all to the genre the film is trying to depicts. This time looking at a still from the film which is themed as a nonstop action movie like the Bourne identity series (Doug Liman, USA, 2002) Angelina Jolie is still shown in parts of the film as a voyeuristic woman on display. (2005) Mr and Mrs Smith [online image] http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/mr_mrs_smith07.jpg (accessed 4th May 2010) Conclusion Of course I appreciate these are my personal opinions and how I see womans role in the film industry. One question comes to mind-why cant women be portrayed as strong, intelligent and empowered as well as being sexually attractive? I am not trying to say that women have to be either stupid, pretty, ugly or clever. I am not saying that beautiful women cant be empowered and vice versa, what it is merely questioning is why the film makers feel the need to spend more time focussing on the body, appearance and sexuality of the female characters than they do the male characters. There needs greater focus on the characters intelligence or ability and more focus on the aesthetic than on the plot itself. Which, really, is the reason most people go to watch a film in the first place. Bibliography Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975) Laura Mulvey Originally Published Screen 16.3 Autumn 1975 pp. 6-18 http://www.jahsonic.com/VPNC.htm Lara Croft: Feminist Icon or Cyberbimbo?- Helen W Kennedy Originally Published-School of Cultural Studies, University of the West of England. pp. 4-5 http://www.gamestudies.org/0202/kennedy/ Mr and Mrs Smith (2005) Copyright  © The 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved. pp. 5 http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/mr_mrs_smith07.jpg Movie minutiae Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2001 Originally published by Vivien Cuttle, 15th February 2008. pp.1 http://blogs.abc.net.au/articulate/2008/02/movie-minutia-1.html Back to the future for Lara Croft Originally published by the BBC on 10th May 2007. pp. 1 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6641833.stm

Relationship between Science and Religion Essay

The article â€Å"Relationship between Science and Religion† outlined the different relationships that the said two domains have had over the years. Historically, religion and science were viewed as strictly separate fields that could not be unified. This view is more popularly known as the conflict thesis . On the other hand, Stephen Jay Gould (1999, quoted in Wikipedia 2007) stated that the two fields could â€Å"co-exist peacefully† if they do not intervene with each other’s business. The article also enumerated different kinds of interactions between the two as presented by Polkinghorne (1998, quoted in Wikipedia 2007). Aside from the constant opposing views regarding the natural world or reality, Polkinghorne illustrated that religion and science may reach a common ground or may even be united with regard to a particular occurrence. After this, the article then went on discussing the early efforts of some religious groups to complement their doctrines with scientific facts. But of course, there were groups, particularly Islam that resisted the proliferation of science in what they believe as sectarian-dominated world. Inevitably, with the advancement of science and fast modernization of societies, there were new groups formed embodying beliefs apart from the fundamentalist view of religion. These groups range from the liberal Enlightenment advocates to non-fundamentalist sects such as Protestant Christian. There were even organizations formed that are not religiously affiliated but perform functions congruent to what religion usually does. Though there were new groups organized, some religion, which date back to ancient times claim that their dogma is capable in adjusting with scientific advancement and this has been actually used by them to explain their own theories toward the strengthening of their own beliefs. The last parts of the article list the varied point of views of scientists toward religion. Some view that religion and science are distinct from each other while others believe that the two could be unified. Others simply believe that the two fields share the same objectives in trying to provide explanation of the happenings in the environment they live in. And also, since religious beliefs are part of cosmos, they can be scientifically tested. Lastly, the article presented studies and findings on relevant issues being tackled. Since the article is not argumentative in nature, it is difficult to determine fallacious statements. The article did not clearly propose or suggest anything nor did it draw any conclusion. It was presented in a seemingly objective manner. I used the words â€Å"seemingly objective† because if one read the paper, it would be observed that the relationship between religion and science were clearly outlined without favoring any of the items. However, as one analyzed the pattern on how the article was written, the biases would be realized. The article enumerated four kinds of interaction between religion and science. However, as the article progresses, only the CONFLICT and INDEPENDENCE kinds of interaction were substantiated. The paper presented early efforts and manifestations of well-established, if not ancient, religious denominations to reconcile the two fields but it failed to elaborate on this matter. The article could have cited instances, findings or any on-going research wherein the two subject matters were integrated. Instead, the article highlighted some points in history when scientific advancements were sanctioned by religious authorities. Moreover, as if strengthening the idea that religion and science are irreconcilable, the article pointed out the formation of non-religious organizations. Though the article presented the â€Å"non-fundamentalist relationship views†, it fell short in showing that the sectarian side is attempting to make a world where they are both accommodated. For example, aside from mentioning the non-sectarian groups, it could have also stated some religious institutions that support scientific and technological development. The second bias that allude to the favoring of the separation of the two domains are the surveys showing that a higher percentage of scientists do not believe in any religious systems. How about presenting data on spiritual leaders who also uphold basic principles of science? Lastly, towards the end of the article, it showed findings on the â€Å"correlation between religiosity and intelligence†. Though this study didn’t categorically stated that those who observe holy practices and those who are strict believers of religious doctrines have low serotonin levels, it seems to create the stigma. If this line of thinking were continuously propagated, many would be discouraged to associate themselves with any religious beliefs. All the biases lean towards the implication that efforts to settle the differences between religion and science should be abandoned. This is what makes the article problematic. At first, the writing tried to present the relationship between the two in an objective way. But it failed because biases were evident. If the author had really wanted his output to be presented objectively, he should have shown the two sides of the coin. For example, he asserted the aggressive progression of science but mentioned only historic accounts on the side of religion. Also, he cited a list of studies disputing the validity of religious co-existence with science, but he again failed to mention the side of religion. Is religion also trying to draw a clear line against science or is it accepting the recent wonders of the latter? Since the author failed to be impartial in writing the article, he should have instead taken a clear-cut position on the issue so readers would be guided in the direction he’s driving at. Bibliography Greene, Perry (1997) Logical Fallacies [Internet], Available from: [Accessed 24 March 2007]. Johnson, George (1998) Science and Religion: Bridging the Great Divide. The New York Times Archives, [Internet], June 30, 1998 Available from: [Accessed 24 March 2007]. Raymo, Chet (1998) Skeptics and True Believers: The Exhilarating Connection Between Science and Religion. New York, Walker and Company. Relationship Between Religion and Science (2007) [Internet]. Available from: < http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Relationship_between_religion_and_science#_note-3> [Accessed 24 March 2007]. Shelp, Earl Edward ed. (1985) Theology & Bioethics Exploring the Foundations & Frontiers II Series. Holland, D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Carbon Dioxide and Industrialization Modernization

Martin Aldrin de La CruzENGLCOM1 EH1 Argumentative Essay: Industrialization Modernization is the conversion of rural areas in to urban or secular areas. Modernization is linked to other words like urbanization and industrialization. I will talk about industrialization. Industrialization is the conversion of agricultural into a base of manufacturing, buildings, and villages. Industrialization started in the 18th century where countries like Greece, Netherlands, and England used slavery to build structures in the agrarian areas.Many countries chose to industrialize to make their country powerful in terms of technology, transportation, education, and economy. Industrialization affects our economy in many ways. First, the construction of new buildings increases the value of the country. Since there are new buildings or enterprises, it opens jobs for people. Increasing the number of employed people in the labor force means increase in the economy. Although industrialization can make our c ountry's economy globally-competitive, it must be stopped because it destroys our body, harms the animals, and causes disturbance to the society.Industrialization can ruin our bodies. There are several bad effects of industrialization and one of these is giving us insufficient food supply. Since our rural areas have been converted to business enterprises, we need to expect that we have less food supply such as rice, vegetables, and other fruits. According to the leading conservation organization, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), 90 percent of the 1. 2 billion people living in extreme poverty worldwide depend on forests for their livelihoods. It is bad for the people living there to starve to death.Moreover, our bodies will be prone to illness since there is more pollution brought by the new structures. According to National Geographic, trees also play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. Fewer forests mean larger amounts of greenhouse gases enteri ng the atmosphere—and increased speed and severity of global warming. The trees that were cut down are supposed to be the things that will get the carbon dioxides and other chemicals brought out by factories. It is harmful for our body to take in the chemicals instead of the trees that should be taking it in.As what I have noted, industrialization can also harm the animals around us. According to TNC, forests are home of one half of the animals worldwide. I can not imagine a life having no shelter. Definitely, all of the animals that live in the forest also feed themselves from the resources there. Trees also prevent flash floods in our places. The roots in the trees sap the water from the rain. Thus, it prevents flash floods. If they are all cut down, we will suffer more and the animals can also suffer. In addition, the U. N. Food and Agriculture Organization said that industrialization contributes approximately 6. billion tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere annually, a s of 2011. Many animals will be affected by this pollution especially the marine life. Industrialization is not all just about pollution and killing, it is also causes disturbance to the society. According to TNC, there were approximately 6 million indigenous people living in the Brazilian Amazon. But as the forests disappeared, so too did the people. In the early 1900s, there were less than 250,000 indigenous people living in the Amazon. We know that there are indigenous people living in the rural areas. We should also help them preserve their lifestyle.It is also a nuisance because people working there risk their lives in going to such places. We know that there are rebels in such places especially in the country of Philippines. The rebels attack whenever they want. Although industrialization can make our economy globally-competitive and can bring glory to our countries, I can not bear the calamities that it can bring to us. Industrialization must be stopped because of these thing s. I believe that there are still other ways to make us competitive. We need to live simple in our ways and we can also innovative without destroying our planet.

Kant, Second Analogy,and Causation - 941 Words

Kant, Second Analogy, and Causation Introduction In the critique of pure reason, Kant states, â€Å"All alternations occur in accordance with the law of the connection of cause and effect.†1 This statement is interpreted in two different ways: weak readings and strong readings. The weak readings basically suggest that Kants statement only refer to â€Å"All events have a cause†; however, the strong readings suggest that â€Å"the Second Analogy is committed not just to causes, but to causal laws as well.†2 To understand the difference between the readings, it is helpful to notice Kants distinction between empirical laws of nature and universal transcendental principles. Empirical laws have an empirical element that universal transcendental principles cannot imply. On the other hand, empirical experiences require necessity to become a law, accordingly, â€Å"the transcendental laws â€Å"ground† the empirical laws by supplying them with their necessity.†3In this paper, according to thi s distinction, I first, argue that the second analogy supports the weak reading, second, show how in Prolegomena he uses the concept of causation in a way that is compatible to the strong reading, and third, investigate whether this incongruity is solvable. The Second Analogy In the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant argues that there is a necessary condition for representing and knowing objective succession, namely causality. 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